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When the HTC One S smartphone debuted at Mobile World Congress this year, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt mentioned the HTC One S features "a soft-touch surface created by a micro arc oxidation technique."

What does this fancy oxidation term mean, though? If one could sum it up in a simple phrase: mega blasts of raw electricity. Earlier this week, HTC shared a promotional video (below) of this electrocution process in action.

Microsoft today announced five new additions to its lineup of artist-edition mice. The artists behind the bedecked peripherals, hailing from around the globe, include Kenzo Minami, Stina Persson, Tchmo, Sally Zou, and Oh Joy (that's the artist's name, not necessarily an editorial comment on the new products). … Read more

Two Sony Ericsson Android phones made their debut in the U.S. today, although they are only available through the Sony Store.

The handset manufacturer unveiled the Xperia Arc S and the Xperia Neo V. The Arc S is $549.99 and the Neo V is $349.99, and both come unlocked.

That the two phones are hitting the U.S. shores only through Sony's stores is indicative of Sony Ericsson's recent struggles in the U.S. Smartphones that are sold without carrier support typically languish in the market or remain niche items for gadget enthusiasts.

When we first saw the handsome Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc at CES last January, we knew it was a solid effort--slim and sleek with sharp edges, impressive camera specs, and a Reality Display worth talking about.

In addition to showing off an Android-based Walkman prototype, Sony Ericsson took the wraps off its latest Android smartphone at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin today.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is a follow-up to the Xperia Arc and brings a faster 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and more entertainment options. These include access to Sony Entertainment's Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services, with a catalog of 10 million songs, radio channels, and the latest movies and TV shows. As for performance improvements, Sony Ericsson says the Xperia Arc S delivers 25 percent faster camera startup … Read more

Telling no one but its Web site, Sony Ericsson has begun offering the Xperia arc to U.S. consumers with an unlocked, no-contract $599 price tag.

Listed as having support for AT&T's 3G bands (850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz), it's very possible that it may arrive later at at the carrier. T-Mobile subscribers can pick up an unlocked Arc as well, though it won't support T-Mobile's 3G network.

Sony Ericsson started off the year with a bang, announcing the Android 2.3-powered Xperia Arc at CES 2011. As one of the first Gingerbread-powered phones after the Nexus S, hopes were high and things looked good. Here was a super thin, gorgeous handset with the latest version of Android.

A good, fast file converter is a handy thing to have in your PC toolkit. ArcConvert is a small, flexible, free tool that is completely portable, so it can travel along with you on a USB drive or other portable device or media.

Canadian carrier Rogers might be a week from delivering the one-two punch that is the Xperia Play and Xperia Arc, but that doesn't mean the tech press will stop digging up details.

As we learned last week, the carrier is accepting preorders for both handsets with as little as $50 down at local Best Buy stores. At the time, pricing was rumored, but not confirmed, to be 99 Canadian dollars ($103) with a three-year commitment. Tech blog MobileSyrup has obtained a couple of internal Rogers documents, verifying the three-year pricing as well providing other options.

Sony Ericsson saw its profits cut in half during the first quarter, but the company managed to stay in the black despite a drop in shipments and a blow to its supply chain from the Japanese earthquake.

For the quarter ended March 31, the mobile phone maker reported net income of 11 million euros ($15.7 million), down from 21 million euros in the year-ago quarter. Despite the drop, results beat the average of analysts' estimates, which had called for a loss of 27.1 million euros, according to Bloomberg. Sales fell 19 percent to 1.145 billion euros from … Read more

Our Canadian readers will be happy to learn that Rogers has begun taking orders for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Play. According to recent reports, both Android 2.3-powered handsets are expected to arrive later this month on April 28.

Pricing is consistent other high-end Rogers smartphones at 99.99 Candadian dollars ($103) with a 3-year commitment or 549.99 Canadian dollars ($571) outright. Effective today, interested customers also can go to their local Best Buy and preorder either phone with a $50 down payment.